


maybe i'm my own greatest fear

by deareli



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, BAU Team as Family, Fluff, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, I'm thinking of adding relationships but idk yet, Possibly moreid, Sort Of, Spencer Reid Whump, Team as Family, The BAU team is called something else, There will definitely be some gayness, They're still FBI agents though, magical abilities, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:47:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25508446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deareli/pseuds/deareli
Summary: When Spencer was 7, his father left, and in a fit of emotion he discovered something else that made him different to a lot of people. His mother told him he was special, that he was one of a kind and that she wouldn’t change anything about him.He didn’t feel special, he felt like a freak.--((Title taken from 'Art School Wannabe' by Sorority Noise))
Comments: 32
Kudos: 84





	1. art school wannabe

**Author's Note:**

> my first ever criminal minds fic lol
> 
> i'm sorry if its a bit ooc or rushed! i wanted to get this idea down and out of the way and i wasn't too happy with how the chapter turned out so i might end up rewriting it but for now this is it
> 
> this is set in an au but they're still fbi agents! its just going to be working a bit differently
> 
> i'm hoping to be able to expand this universe in the near future, but i don't have anything else currently planned. 
> 
> you can also probably tell their powers, but i'll reveal them one by one. ALSO im starting with emily, not elle, bc i didnt rly like elle (sorry!) but i loved emily a lot
> 
> so far we have hotch as marksmanship, meaning he can hit any target with a gun. spencer with telekinesis/empathy, gideon with empathy. they work as profilers too but their main job is dealing with supernatural cases, kinda like hunters but not really. 
> 
> anyways onwards with the story!

When Spencer was little, he knew he was different.

It wasn’t the high IQ or his superb memory, the fact that he could read big books when kids twice his age couldn’t. It wasn’t that he was nonverbal until he was 5 years old, or that he didn’t like anyone other than his mother. It wasn’t that he could spout off random facts that most adults don’t know, or that he could tell if a person was lying even if he didn’t know them.

It wasn’t any of that.

When Spencer was 7, his father left, and in a fit of emotion he discovered something else that made him different to a lot of people. His mother told him he was special, that he was one of a kind and that she wouldn’t change anything about him.

He didn’t feel special, he felt like a freak.

\---

Spencer Reid, prodigy at age 12 and already starting college, first met Jason Gideon at a public library in Las Vegas.

The man had given him a book while he was looking for something new to read to his mum. While Spencer knew he shouldn’t talk to strangers, the feeling he got from Jason Gideon was one of familiarity and safety, though he wasn’t entirely sure why.

“This might help you,” Jason had said after introducing himself and handing over the book, a heavy one that required Spencer to carry it with both hands. “I think it’ll stick with you, even after you return it back to the library.”

Jason had winked, a fatherly smile on his face.

Spencer frowned, looking back down at the book then at Jason’s face again. He wanted to say ‘thank you’ and show his appreciation. He wanted to ask who Jason Gideon was exactly. But instead, what came out was, “You’re sad.”

The admission took Jason by surprise, the smile falling off his face as his eyebrows raised towards his hairline. He stared at Spencer for a moment with something unreadable, and the child worried he might have upset the man. But then the elder man smiled again, this time the smile being more genuine. “You’re very perceptive for a young boy, Spencer.”

“Or maybe you’re more easily read than you think.”

That made Jason laugh, and Spencer felt a bit more comfortable now that he knew he wasn’t accidentally offending the man like he tends to do. “Perhaps,” Jason said, his voice sounding more mischievious now. “I’m glad I ran into you. I understand if you don’t want to take my number, but if you ever need someone to talk to – someone who understands – then you can find me. I know you’re smart enough to find me.”

“If I need someone who understands?” Spencer asked, tilting his head, frowning.

The older man nodded, standing up at his full height, groaning a bit as his knees unlocked from kneeling for so long. “You’ll get it once you read that book. I promise you if you have any questions, then I’ll answer them as best as I can.”

And with that, he left, leaving Spencer to think over the conversation.

\--

Spencer didn’t see Jason Gideon again until he was almost finished with college.

The two of them talked on the phone once, when Spencer tracked down the man’s number after his second ever emotional breakdown, this time scaring himself more than anything else. Jason was understanding on the phone, walking him through his feelings and suggesting new ways to deal with it.

And so he did, all the way through college so far.

He had been leaving a class when he spotted a familiar adult waiting in the hallway. Jason Gideon was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and looking down at the floor while another man stood next to him was talking to him.

The other man had a serious-looking scowl on his face, and Spencer could see two guns strapped across his chest in a harness, hidden slightly by his suit jacket. He probably had another hidden gun, though Spencer had no idea where.

Jason looked up, making eye contact with him, and waved him over, a smile on his face. His previous frown was gone, instead he looked at Spencer as if he was excited to see him.

“Spencer,” Jason said in greeting as the teen made his way over. His curls bobbed up and down slightly as he walked, reminding him that he needed another haircut. “It’s good to see you.”

The young man gave a small, shy smile towards Jason. “Hello Jason,” he said politely, remembering that the man had asked him during their last phone call to call him by his first name instead of ‘sir’ or ‘Mr Gideon’.

His eyes drifted over to the serious-looking man, who was now staring at Spencer with what he felt was a mix of curiosity and bewilderment. He looked back at Jason again, who seemed to understand what Spencer was asking.

“Spencer this is my friend and co-worker, Aaron Hotchner,” Jason said, gesturing towards the other man, before clasping his hands together again like he liked to do. “Hotch, this is the kid I was telling you about, Dr Spencer Reid.”

The young adult gave a small wave, something he always did when greeting new people, and he was surprised to see Aaron wave in return. He suspected Jason had told him that little quirk of Spencer’s before they met, which he was grateful for. He hated making adults feel bad when he didn’t want to shake their hands. “Hi,” he said awkwardly, feeling his cheeks burn at the small greeting. He knew Jason’s job was important, and if this Aaron Hotchner was Jason’s co-worker, then it meant his job was just as important. ‘Hi’ just didn’t feel like it was enough. “Um, was there something you wanted?” he asked, turning back to Jason.

Jason just smiled, nonverbally reassuring Spencer that he wasn’t actually being rude. “Hotch wanted to meet you,” he said simply, being intentionally vague. “Want a cup of coffee?”

That was something Spencer couldn’t resist, and as he looked at both adults, he couldn’t stop a grin spreading across his face as he nodded.

\--

“Why did you want to meet me?” Spencer asked, curiosity winning over anxiety as he looked up at Hotch. Though he wasn’t making eye contact, he still looked at the man’s face. It was something he learned to do instead of having to maintain eye contact. “I uh- I only talked to Jason twice.”

“He was excited,” Aaron said simply, taking a sip of his own coffee. Already Spencer could tell the man was no-nonsense, which was good. He would get straight to the point. “Gideon says you’re only 20?”

“Yes.”

“And yet you’re already working on a third doctorate. What field?”

Spencer paused, looking over at Jason, who simply nodded, before turning back to Aaron. “Chemistry,” he said, feeling a bit embarrassed though he couldn’t really tell why. “I want another one too, but I haven’t chosen what yet. I like philosophy though, it’s really fluid and there’s no right or wrong answer.”

“Very ambitious.”

The teen allowed himself to smile at that, though it remained shy and small. “I like to learn,” he said, playing with one of the empty sugar packets sitting next to his mug. The café Jason had chose was far enough away from the university where he felt comfortable, but close enough to his home if he wanted to leave. It was busy, but was quiet enough that Spencer could hear the two adults loudly enough.

That even managed to bring a smile to Aaron’s face, though it was gone as soon as Spencer noticed. Instead, the man leaned forward onto the table, hands rested together and his finished coffee sitting to the side. Jason remained as he was, leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked comfortable, which reassured Spencer slightly.

“Jason tells me you’ve had a few incidents recently,” Aaron began, voice turning even more serious, though Spencer couldn’t sense any malice or trickery in his voice. He seemed sincere enough. “Things you couldn’t really explain.”

“Just twice- I’m a man of science, Mr Hotchner,” Spencer said, frowning. “I don’t like things I can’t explain and it freaked out.”

“Call me Aaron,” the older man said, not unkindly. “I know it seems surreal Spencer. There are times when we can’t really explain the things around us, when something paranormal seems to be happening. I trust Jason told you about himself?” Spencer nodded. “I understand too. There are some of us out there who are born with extraordinary gifts, ones like yours. Though two mental gifts in one person is a rare occurrence.”

“What’s yours?”

“Marksmanship,” Aaron smiled, the guns visible once again as he leant back in his chair. “And Jason’s is Empathy, though I assume he told you that already?”

Spencer nodded, looking at Jason again. The older man seemed to understand, for he spoke up this time rather than staying silent. “There are others like us. Do you remember me mentioning the PSHU?” Another nod. “Well Aaron and I work for the FBI’s PSHU, the Paranormal and Supernatural Hunting Unit. We’re not very well known, since the work we do is often hard to understand for normal people. At the moment there are three other agents working in the unit, as well as our technical analyst.”

“We’re a small unit and a lot of the time we’re kept under the radar. To anyone outside of the FBI, we appear as normal agents, but the things we investigate aren’t exactly… normal,” Aaron continued, following Jason’s lead. “Everyone in the unit has an ability, and they’re all different. The most recent hire is Linguistical, which I assume you know what that means if you read the book Jason gave you.”

Spencer nodded, glad to finally be able to recite something he remembers. “Ability to read, understand and speak any language in the world without actually knowing it.”

Jason smiled, and Spencer got the sense he was feeling proud, but it was Aaron who spoke. “Yes, quite a useful ability when we’re dealing with people who aren’t well versed in English or who may use dead languages in their crimes,” he paused, looking at Spencer again. “You might be wondering why we’re talking to you about this. I can assure you it’s not just because of your abilities. Jason let me know that you might not even know what your abilities are.”

“Jason said it was ‘Telekinesis’?” Spencer said, recalling the times when things would swirl around him as if they had a mind of their own, connected with the anger or anguish he was feeling at the time. He remembered calling Jason Gideon in a moment of panic, sobbing into the receiver and screaming at the books floating all around him and the lights flickering on and off. “Wait, you said two. What did you mean two?”

This time it was Jason who spoke. “This one is more of a guess, but your body language has been reacting to how we feel the entire time we’ve been speaking. I noticed it too when I first met you at the library all those years ago, you trusted me fully despite not knowing me. From the way you speak about your mother, the few times you’ve mentioned her, it sounds like you feel what she feels.”

“Empathy,” Aaron spoke up, dark eyes boring into Spencer. “Empaths are not very common, and those that are-“

“Are statistically more likely to end up going insane, or ending their own life,” Spencer cut in, biting his lip. He remembered reading that, too, though didn’t understand why he felt so sad about it at the time.

Both Aaron and Jason looked almost pitiful at that, and Spencer hated that he could feel the overwhelming sense of sympathy from them. But then Jason shook his head, his expression turning determined. “Those are the cases in which the Empath bottled everything up. There are many ways to help prevent that happening and you have the support of myself and Aaron.”

Spencer bit his lip, eyebrows furrowing in thought. “Why are you telling me all this?”

“Jason seems to be of the opinion that you’ll be invaluable to the PSHU, and after today and all that I’ve read on you, I agree.”

“The PSHU is a very selective unit, and you don’t have to go fully through the academy, however you will need to take a 6-12 month training schedule and take some tests before officially joining. You’ll be able to continue studying at university, though you will have to switch to long-distance study. It’s something Aaron will be able to work around for you,” Jason explained, his face serious. “You’ll have the support of the both of us, and if you’ll allow him Aaron has agreed to be your training officer. He’ll run you through everything you need to know, be your go-to for information on anything you need, and will be the one to personally oversee your training. This is a big decision, Spencer, and it’s not one you need to make right now. It would require moving to Virginia, changing everything you d-“

“I’ll do it,” Spencer cut in, eyes wide.

Jason stopped, making eye contact with Aaron before looking back at Spencer. The two of them looked shocked, though Jason’s eyebrows were slightly furrowed. He was worried. “Spencer, this is a big decision-“

“No, I’ll do it,” the younger man said, looking more determined with every word. “I know it’s a big decision and I know it means changing everything but that’s what I want. I don’t like not understanding things, I want to understand more about my… ability… and if I can be of some help, then I want to. There’s nothing here for me, Jason. My mum is safe, I live alone and I don’t have any friends or anyone close to me.”

Aaron was the one who spoke up this time, grabbing a business card from his jacket. “We’re leaving today, but we’ll organise for you to come down once you have everything packed and sorted. I’ll help with the process, and obviously we’re both here for support too. Here’s my number in case you want to call me, and you have Jason’s too now.”

Spencer nodded, taking the card gingerly and looking it over, before slipping it into his satchel. He knew he would be taking any opportunity he could to talk to Aaron and Jason, as long as he wasn’t being annoying. He stood up as the other two did, giving a small nod rather than shaking their hands. Both men weren’t surprised and actually nodded back, which made him feel marginally better. He walked with them out of the café, turning to look at the both of them. “Thanks for um- talking to me, and offering the spot-“

“It’ll be all up to you, in the end,” Aaron said, clapping a hand gently onto Spencer’s bony shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly. Spencer didn’t shy away, instead nodding up at Aaron. He knew it would be all down to him to do the work, but he wasn’t alone. That was what helped him to make his decision.

“Do you want us to drop you home?” Jason asked, already knowing what the answer would be. He smiled when he was proven right, Spencer shook his head at the offer as Aaron removed his hand.

“I’ll be fine, I want to think anyway,” he said, shrugging his bag so it fit better across his body. “Thanks though. For everything- I feel a lot better about things.”

The two adults watched him walk off, making sure he was around the corner before hopping into the SUV they had rented. “What did you think? He’s more talkative than that, I promise. Kid could talk your head off for hours if you let him, he’s just a bit shy.”

“Low self confidence,” Aaron mused, smiling a bit. “He’s definitely got something. It’s up to him whether that something gets time to shine."


	2. i wanna hit the breaks but i hit the gas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Nervous?”
> 
> Spencer jumped, not expecting the voice even though Jason had been standing beside him for the past five minutes. He quickly regained his composure, feeling the many different emotions surrounding him from the people nearby them. He gave a small nod, gripping the strap of his messenger bag so tightly his fingers were turning white.
> 
> “Come on, the quicker you get it over with the quicker it’ll feel normal,” Jason said, not unkindly, and Spencer felt relieved that the older man was on his side.
> 
> \--
> 
> ((Chapter title from 5150 by Love Fame Tragedy))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hopefully this chapter is a bit better!! we get introduced to the main cast and spencer meets his team. 
> 
> i know its short, i'm sorry :( im still getting used to typing on a mac and i wanna get these chapters out quickly! hopefully you like it!
> 
> (chapter titles arent related to the story im just using songs i like that sorta fit with spencer reid's character)
> 
> ALSO forgot to add last chapter but this fic was inspired by a fic series called 'Sink or Swim' by DancingForRain https://archiveofourown.org/series/1025328). It's really great, check it out!
> 
> so the powers are: 
> 
> reid: empath + telekinesis  
> gideon: empath  
> hotch: marksmanship  
> pretiss: language  
> jj: influence  
> morgan: strength  
> garcia: cyber control

True to Jason’s words, both men kept in touch with Spencer even after they left to head back to Virginia, through the use of letters and phone calls. He eventually ended up moving out to Virginia, living with Jason temporarily before using any money he had saved from his time winning bets in casinos in Vegas to start renting his own apartment. Aaron had offered for Spencer to stay with him, but Spencer still felt like a burden and ended up declining.

Over the past year he spent all his time either finishing up his studies or spending time practising with Aaron, who taught him everything he needed to know about joining the unit, from passing the physical tests to knowing all about Government procedure and how to act.

Aaron also invited him over for dinner and to stay over a lot, as per Haley’s request (once she realised just how _young_ he was). Sometimes Jason would take him out to a restaurant to eat, or would invite him over to play chess and talk.

For the first time in his life, Spencer felt like he could trust the people around him. He took to Haley Hotchner well, enjoying talking to her whenever he was over and loving the motherly attention she often gave him. Aaron seemed to be okay with it, often watching the two with a small smile that Spencer suspected he only really showed around his family. He found out the Hotchners were expecting a son, that Haley had only fallen pregnant recently and they were constantly discussing baby names. It made Spencer smile whenever he heard the domestic arguments between the two adults, as if it was the most important thing in the world for them to discuss.

(It probably was, to them. He hadn’t really experienced a family before.)

He still hadn’t used his powers since his last breakdown, but Aaron had showed him his own and Jason had admitted that his power was Empathy too. He had seen Haley’s in action too, when he accidentally cut his arm from helping her cook dinner as a thank you for Aaron, and she had taken his arm and healed it with almost no issue. She had then explained that the worst the wound, the more tired it made her, but she would be happy to heal any pain he might have.

And while it was nice of her, he didn’t want to make her feel bad while she was pregnant.

Within the year he was close to starting his new job, having gotten his third doctorate and finishing up his studies for the time being. Jason told him that he had spoken to the director about the position, and given Spencer forms to fill out. The interview process would be a long one, but Aaron and Jason assured him they would be with him every step of the way. He cleared the tests, though the physical ones were only barely passed, and he ended up passing the psych evaluation as well as the few interviews he had to sit through with Jason, as well as a woman he met called Erin Strauss, and the director of the FBI.

“You start in a week,” Aaron said as Spencer slipped into the passenger seat of his car, sleeves of his shirt and cardigan rolled up against the warm weather. “How are you feeling?”

“Terrified,” Spencer admitted, knowing there was no point in lying to the older man. He and Jason were annoyingly good at reading him.

Aaron smiled, keeping his eyes on the road as he drove the kid and himself back to his place. “Technically you’re still a training agent, so you won’t be alone at all once you start working. Either myself or Jason will be with you until you can handle yourself.”

“I know, it’s just,” Spencer paused, and Aaron could tell he was thinking about his words before saying them, so he stayed silent until the young man could continue. “You both have this huge amount of belief in me, that I can do a job that I didn’t even consider until a year ago. All because of this ‘ability’ I have.”

Aaron knew the kid’s self-esteem was essentially non-existent, Jason had told him so and warned him that his shyness meant he won’t be good with other people. It meant that they would have to adapt around his weakness, like they did for Aaron’s inability to deal with emotional people or Derek’s need to be doing something physical at all times, or even Emily’s need to always have someone around. It would work out okay.

“Jason has an uncanny ability to read people perfectly and is often able to see the worth of someone right in front of him,” Aaron said after a moment, knowing Spencer needed to hear it. “If he believes in you, he often has a good reason to. He believed in me, in our other agents and he believes in you. He’s convinced me. Sounds like he needs to convince you now.”

Spencer was quiet for a moment, and Aaron knew he was thinking things over like he liked to do. The kid had a habit of letting his mouth speak before his brain caught up, but that was often when he was so far into a theory that he didn’t want to have time for anything else. “It’s just for my ability though. But I don’t understand – Gideon is an Empath too. Why does he need me?”

“You understand things differently. You offer a fresh perspective that none of us have, and because of that – Jason believes you’ll give us something new.”

Spencer made a breathy little ‘oh’ sound and fell quiet. “My telekinesis?” he asked, and Aaron knew that he was really asking if that was the something different. “I can’t really use it. I’ve tried, but I’ve only done it three times without trying.”

The older man shrugged, parking the car in the Hotchner driveway and turning the engine off. He turned to Spencer, eyebrows furrowing slightly. “You’ll be able to, it’ll take practice. Once you pass your firearms qualification then your telekinesis won’t be your only weapon anyway. Now come on, I think Haley is excited to have you helping out with dinner.”

They got out of the car, Spencer laughing a bit as he did so. The sound brought a smile to Aaron’s face.

\--

Spencer was nervous.

He was stood outside the FBI building with Jason beside him, the older man waiting for him to walk through. Jason had insisted on Spencer taking the first step, even if it meant they stood outside all day.

(Realistically he knew it wouldn’t come to that, but _still_ ).

“Nervous?”

Spencer jumped, not expecting the voice even though Jason had been standing beside him for the past five minutes. He quickly regained his composure, feeling the many different emotions surrounding him from the people nearby them. He gave a small nod, gripping the strap of his messenger bag so tightly his fingers were turning white.

“Come on, the quicker you get it over with the quicker it’ll feel normal,” Jason said, not unkindly, and Spencer felt relieved that the older man was on his side.

The young adult nodded, looking at Jason for a moment – the old man giving him a reassuring smile – before pushing open the doors into the FBI building.

The first thing to hit him was the abundance of emotions. So many surrounded him, making him want to curl into himself more than what he was doing just standing there. The huge room was full of different people, and he forced himself to focus on following Jason through the security gate and into one of the elevators.

“You’ll meet the whole team today,” Jason said once they were in the elevator. He hit the ‘6th’ button, clasping his hands in front of his chest like he liked to do. Spencer found out it was a tendency he was born with. “Hotch has debriefed them about you but they’re still worried because of how young you are.”

“Gideon-“

Jason held up a hand to stop him. “I’m not saying this to upset you. You’ll earn their trust and respect and suddenly your age won’t matter,” he said, voice softer as he put a hand gently onto Spencer’s back. Jason and Aaron were the only two he allowed to even touch him, but even then it wasn’t often that he wanted them touching him.

Right now, however, was one of the exceptions.

When the elevator doors opened, the two stepped out and Spencer followed Jason into the bullpen. The older man’s reassuring touch felt warm and he focused on that to drive the emotions surrounding him out. They fell to the back of his mind, and Jason moved his hand to between Spencer’s shoulder blades instead.

“JJ,” Jason called, stopping a blonde woman who had been about to climb the stairs leading to the top section of the bullpen, presumably where the supervisor offices were. She was pretty, very pretty, with long blonde hair tied up in a half-updo and bright blue eyes. She wore natural looking makeup and Spencer could feel himself blush when she stopped to look at them – her eyes lingering on Spencer for a moment. “I’m glad I ran into you first. This is our newest recruit, Dr Spencer Reid.”

The woman smiled, giving a small wave. Spencer realised with a jolt that Jason must have told the team about his dislike of hand shaking. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said, her voice as sweet as her appearance. “I’m Agent Jennifer Jareau, but you can call me JJ. Hotch says you have three PhD’s?”

Spencer nodded, tucking a stray curl behind his ear, feeling self-conscious even as Jason removed his hand. JJ had a smile on her face, a genuine one, so he assumed it was alright to talk. “Chemistry, engineering and mathematics,” he admitted, looking down at the ground. He didn’t like bragging all that much after all.

“Impressive!” JJ cheered, making him look back up at her. Her smile had only grown, and he felt comfortable around her already. His Empath abilities fed off her happiness, drowning out the negative emotions he was struggling to keep away from.

Jason clasped his shoulder, making the two younger agents look at him. “JJ are the others in the conference room?”

She nodded, gesturing with a “follow me”, heading up the stairs. With a look at Jason, Spencer followed her.

\--

The conference room was small, locks on the door and the windows covered. Presumably because of the things discussed.

When they walked in, Spencer immediately stiffened as all eyes turned to him. JJ moved away to one of the chairs, and Jason came to stand next to Spencer.

“This the kid?” one of the agents said, eyeing Spencer in a way that could be hostile. But all Spencer could feel was the overwhelming sense of uncertainty coming from the three unknown people. “He looks like a twig, Gideon.”

Spencer felt his cheeks redden, this time out of embarrassment, but Jason spoke up before he could say anything. “This is Dr Spencer Reid,” he said, stressing the ‘Doctor’ title. “He might be young but he’s an invaluable member for this unit to have.”

“Reid,” Aaron said, stepping forward. “This is Derek Morgan, our strength specialist,” he said, gesturing to the agent who had called him a ‘twig’. “You met Jennifer Jareau from the looks of things. We also have Emily Prentiss, who knows everything to do with language,” he paused, gesturing to the dark haired woman who was eyeing him like he was something very new and unusual. Which he probably was. “And we have our technical analyst, Penelope Garcia, who knows everything there is to know about the cyber world.”

Penelope Garcia was looking at him as if she was holding herself back from launching herself at him. Her eyes were sparkling, her makeup bright and her clothes brighter. “Aw it’s so nice to meet you, sweetie,” she cooed, walking over to him and cupping his face in her hands. He didn’t flinch, surprisingly, her hands were warm and her entire being was exuberating nothing but happiness and love.

He liked her and JJ so far.

“Dr Reid has been cleared for work now and he’ll be joining us from now on. He’ll be working with Hotch until he’s good to be on his own.” Jason said, picking up one of the files on the table.

Derek eyed Spencer again, before sighing and dropping the file he had in his hand onto the table. “Well I hope he’s ready. We have a case, and it’s a bad one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im thinking about making a character playlist for reid if anyone would be interested in that??
> 
> also please leave comments and kudos telling me what y'all think and giving ideas if you have them!! i love reading comments <3 
> 
> tumbler: misguidedstars


	3. we laugh into the microphone and sing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, my first call from our beautiful new recruit,” Penelope Garcia’s cheerful voice came through on the phone. The team watched as Spencer’s cheeks flushed red from the compliment, and Hotch vaguely regretted not warning the young doctor about that. “What can I help you with, Dr Reid?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title taken from 'nothing's gonna hurt you baby' by cigarettes after sex
> 
> hey! i'm not dead. i'm sorry about the lack of updates, i have another fic i'm working on and ive had a lot of stress recently. uni's started up again, and ive gotten evicted and am very stressed about that so updates may not be constant rn. 
> 
> i hope this is up to ur standards folks!

Derek Morgan was not a fan of him.

Spencer could tell the older man wasn’t a fan of him. As far as he knew, JJ had taken a liking to him and had asked him questions about his power and his studies, and Garcia had already taken to calling him nicknames and pinching his cheeks whenever she got the chance.

Hotch had told him he’d have a chance to prove himself, and apparently getting right into a case was how that happened.

“Where are we headed?” Emily asked, reaching forward to pick up one of the case files dropped onto the table. She was someone he wasn’t entirely sure about. She had looked at him, winked and then become all business, and if he was being honest: she intimidated him. Maybe they could be language buddies, if she wanted to talk to him.

“San Diego,” Garcia piped up, though her face had paled considerably. “Two weeks ago, two teenagers disappeared from their school in broad daylight, during school hours. Yesterday, their bodies turned up in a park.”

A picture appeared on the screen, of the two teenagers sitting on a bench next to each other, holding hands and staring unseeingly straight ahead. But what was weird was… “What are those markings on their necks?” Spencer asked, drawing everyone’s eyes towards him. “They look like the aftermath marks of a death spell.”

He looked up, noticing various facial expressions being directed at him. When Gideon smiled, however, he relaxed and realised he was fine. “Reid’s right,” Hotch spoke up, pulling out a piece of paper from his briefcase. “Problem is, we don’t know which one. Seems like San Diego has a witch or someone with witch roots and they’ve chosen spells as their weapon.”

“If that’s the case then there’s a possibility its actually the work of a team, or a coven,” Spencer continued off of where Hotch stopped, ignoring how they looked at him as he walked over to the screen to have a better look. Even with his glasses, he needed to be closer to make sure. He gestured to one of the marks on the girl’s neck. “These are different to the one on the boy’s neck. There’s a minute detail difference. This mark on – what was his name, Travis Mitchell? –‘s neck was created at the base of his neck and drawn up towards his face. Shaye Miller’s mark was created from her chin to her shoulders, which means it was created by two different witches.”

“Why do you say the whole coven? It could be one witch creating two marks, or just two witches,” Morgan spoke up, sounding completely unconvinced that Spencer was right. Spencer could feel the uncertainty radiating not only from him but also Emily. It made him want to run away, but he stood his ground.

Instead, he shook his head. “Witchery is only practiced by those who are born with the ability to harvest magic,” he paused, noticing the other members watching him intently. He wrung his hands together, fidgeting with his fingers, tugging at the sleeve on his left arm. “Every witch has their own signature that they use with their spells, even if they use the same spell. It’s impossible for one witch to use the same signature as another. Also, it’s true that there is a possibility that it could just be two witches, but it’s highly unlikely that two witches would team up without the back up of a coven. It’s more likely to be one witch without a coven, not two. They’re drawn to each other through their connection to the magic of the natural world.”

“It’s something we’ll have to keep in mind for when we get there, but keep an open mind,” Hotch said, looking at his team. “We’ll be working together with the San Diego Police Department on this case and offering our supernatural expertise. Reid, you’re with me. We’ll head to the police department and look at compiling a list of possible characteristics to look out for.”

Gideon nodded, finally speaking, eyes glancing over at Spencer before looking at the rest. “Morgan, you and I will be heading to the crime scene. Prentiss, I want you and JJ to speak to the families and see if you can find out any connections between the two kids. It’s very likely that they’re just victims of opportunity but there’s a chance that there might be a connection between them and the witches. Garcia, look into magic or supernatural activity in the area. There might be other victims we don’t know about. Let’s head to San Diego.”

And with that, the team gathered up their files and headed out of the room.

Gideon turned to Spencer as the others left, placing a hand on his shoulder gently. “Did you remember to pack a go-bag?” he asked, smiling when the young man nodded. Spencer felt himself deflate once he realised they were alone, feeling the adrenaline leave and the anxiety at speaking so much in front of a group of people return. “You did well. I told you that you would.”

“I don’t think they appreciated me showing off,” he admitted, biting his lip as he gripped the strap of his messenger bag.

Gideon shook his head, leading the boy out of the room. “You did good, kid. I promise. Don’t be afraid to speak up whenever you know something.”

\--

The flight on the jet was exciting.

Spencer had never been on a jet before – he’d been on a plane, of course, but he didn’t get a chance to really enjoy it – and so he couldn’t help the excited vibrating he’d done in his seat. Hotch had distracted him by asking for statistics on witches, and Morgan had dragged him into a round of poker, which he won.

(Gideon eventually banned him from playing poker, if only to ensure Morgan wouldn’t go completely broke).

Arriving in the PD, he let Hotch do the talking and waved when he was introduced. He ignored the confused and even insulting gazes of the officers, and followed Detective Williams to the room they were given.

He immediately made a beeline for the board that was set up, dropping his messenger bag into a seat nearby. “Is this all the information you have?” he heard Hotch ask, and he gathered that the detective had answered, but his mind was already going through everything he knew about witches.

“We’ll have to wait until the others call with more information,” Hotch said, coming to stand next to him. “How are you feeling? The department is full of people.”

Spencer nodded, eyes glued to the board in front of him. “Focusing on work helps block out the emotions…” he trailed off, not wanting to admit what he almost did.

But it seemed that Hotch understood, because he put a hand on Spencer’s shoulder and turned him so the young genius was facing him instead. Spencer didn’t meet his eyes, but Hotch didn’t mind. He knew the kid wouldn’t be able to unless he absolutely had to. “Jason told me once that having people around him with positive emotions helps him to block out the negatives. I noticed that earlier this morning with Garcia you felt at ease, if us having positive emotions please tell us and we can accommodate for you like we do for everyone else.”

Spencer bit his lip, but he nodded his agreement. “They help,” he admitted, feeling a bit more relaxed and realising that Hotch seemed to be pushing more positive emotions through. He gave a small smile of gratitude towards the man, before turning back to the map. “Hey Hotch, if this is a coven then they’d want areas that aren’t full of people.”

Hotch nodded. “Which means we can eliminate some of these areas right away. Good point, I’ll let Gideon know.”

\--

“We have a new couple. 16 year old Lauren Hill and 17 year old Matthew Ryan,” Gideon said as he wandered into the room with Morgan behind him.

“Same marks too. Do they look the same as the first two, Reid?” Morgan asked, handing the younger agent the photos they had of the new crime scene.

Spencer examined the photos as he pinned them up onto the board. “Yeah, exact same ones on the boy and girl. Actually, the fact that it’s once again a boy and girl who have been killed and posed in the exact same way tells us that they might be killed for a particular reason.”

“Which is?”

“Sacrifice,” Spencer said, avoiding everyone’s eyes. He ignored the pit forming in his stomach. “There are a few spells which require more than one spell-caster and human sacrifice, and they’re pretty specific about the type of humans that are sacrificed.”

Gideon frowned, crossing his arms and leaning against the table. “So far the only thing the victims have in common are their ages, genders and COD’s. Are there any spells that require teenagers?”

Spencer frowned, thinking it through. His eyes moved from side to side like he was reading off of a page, yet there was nothing in front of him. The team watched him, and Hotch smiled when the kid’s face lit up. He typed in the phone number on the phone sitting on the table for Quantico, then put it on speaker. “Garcia?”

“Oh, my first call from our beautiful new recruit,” Penelope Garcia’s cheerful voice came through on the phone. The team watched as Spencer’s cheeks flushed red from the compliment, and Hotch vaguely regretted not warning the young doctor about that. “What can I help you with, Dr Reid?”

“I uh- I need you to look into spells for me. There’s a spell that’s escaping my memory right now – I’m not well versed in spells – which uses multiple casters and teenage sacrifices.”

He could hear Penelope’s smile in her voice, and it carried over to him, washing over him with happy feelings. He could see Gideon’s face relax out of the corner of his eye. “Anywhere in particular you want me to look?”

“Not currently,” Spencer said, turning back to the board. “Agent Prentiss and Agent Jareau should be calling you with anymore links between the victims too.”

“Aw hun, you can call them Emily and JJ,” Penelope said, her voice cooing in sympathy. “I’ll let you know what I find, my gorgeous baby genius. Mother genius out!”

And with that, the tech guru hung up. Spencer turned to Hotch, Gideon and Morgan, who were all looking back at him. “I’ll try to think of the spell, but I think from memory it’s a spell to bring back a loved one from death. Hopefully Garcia can get back to me soon.”

“She will,” Morgan said, eyebrows raised. “Good work kid, hopefully you’re right and it leads us to them.”

\--

“Okay, doc, got your spell,” Garcia said as soon Spencer answered the phone, once again on speaker. It had been a few hours since he called her, and now both Emily and JJ were back. The team had gathered around the table with Detective Williams.

Spencer turned away from the table, ready to write the spell down next to the victims on the board. “What is it?”

“It’s ‘ _a thoirt air ais be_ _ò_ _,_ which means ‘to bring to life’, I think,” Garcia said, sounding a bit confused, but Spencer ignored the feeling for now and wrote it down. “Says here it’s a particular type of spell, there are other translations for it and some words can be changed to change the effect of it.”

Spencer nodded. “Most spells are like that. And it meets the requirements?”

“Yup! I’m impressed, boy wonder,” she cooed, making Spencer flush in embarrassment.

He shook it off though, thanking her and turning to Gideon. “That’s one part of the puzzle solved. I think Morgan was right when he said it might be two witches.”

Morgan blinked, and Gideon nodded. “It’s starting to seem like two witches have turned away from their coven. And they’re only getting started. It’s only a matter of time before they devolve, or the spell works.

We need to work out who they’re trying to bring back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please leave a comment telling me what you think/any ideas you might have? 
> 
> i made a character playlist for spencer! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3vvQRObQw0iNVbfYnV3obF?si=qqHo9Is3SJSNWIJ_4YHY9A
> 
> tumblr: misguidedstars


	4. one by one they fall, quarter dime and penniless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gideon shook his head, sitting down at the table. “Not yet. How are you going? I understand you told Hotch you didn’t want to be out with the others just yet,” he said, and Spencer flinched. He knew his fear was irrational, and Gideon could read him perfectly.
> 
> “I think I’m more useful here,” he said, somewhat honestly. He shifted his balance from his right leg to his left, turning back to the board and letting his eyes roam over the information on it. “Besides my uh- physical tests weren’t great and I’d probably be more of a hindrance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title taken from 'borderlines and aliens' by grouplove :-) 
> 
> hey guys, i know this chapter is short but i'm gonna be a bit busy the next few weeks with assignments and moving out into a new house, so i wanted to get something out while i could. i struggled with writing this so let me know what y'all think. 
> 
> also fun trivia. myrna is the name of the villain in my novel i'm writing on :-). 
> 
> translations taken from the internet, i admit they may be wrong and apologise for it.   
> names for witches, coven and school all taken from a naming generator.

“Why isn’t Aaron answering his phone?” Haley Hotchner’s worried voice came through Spencer’s phone the moment he picked it up.

After his information dump, the team had split up. Spencer, thankfully, got to stay at the police department to narrow down the suspect list and build what Gideon called a profile. The senior agent decided to stay with him, while the other team members left to do different tasks.

His phone had rung while he was refilling his coffee, and he was surpised to see that it was Haley who was calling him. While he knew Hotch kept a record of his team’s numbers at home, she’s never rung him before now.

“Hotch is out with Agent Jareau investigating a crime scene, I think he just didn’t notice,” Spencer responded, knowing Haley got very worried if Hotch didn’t contact her often. She had every right to be, and he knew she understood that cases often meant he was too busy to talk. Still, Spencer’s heart went out to her. “I’m sorry Mrs Hotchner.”

“Oh call me Haley, Spencer, we’ve been over this. As long as he’s safe.”

“He is ma’am, I can promise you that at least,” Spencer said, feeling her mood shift from concerned to relieved. He smiled a bit at being able to ease some of her worry. “If it helps I’ll text him to call you. Is everything alright?”

Haley hummed on the other side of the call, likely thinking over her answer. He wasn’t offended, he wasn’t overtly close with the Hotchner’s to be privy to their private lives. “I had to go to hospital today,” she ended up saying. “I’m alright, but I wanted Aaron to know that I collapsed today. The doctor said it was just low blood-sugar levels exhaustion.”

“I’m sorry, M- Hayley,” Spencer frowned.

“It’s alright Spencer, just please let Aaron know to call me.”

“I will,” Spencer replied, looking up as Gideon wondered over to him, a questioning expression on his face. “I hope you feel better soon, Mrs Hotchner,” he said, just as he hung up and met Gideon’s gaze.

“Everything okay?” the older man asked, concern littering his face.

Spencer nodded, sending a quick text to Hotch before pocketing his phone. “It’s nothing. Did Garcia have any luck with covens in the area?”

Gideon shook his head, sitting down at the table. “Not yet. How are you going? I understand you told Hotch you didn’t want to be out with the others just yet,” he said, and Spencer flinched. He knew his fear was irrational, and Gideon could read him perfectly.

“I think I’m more useful here,” he said, somewhat honestly. He shifted his balance from his right leg to his left, turning back to the board and letting his eyes roam over the information on it. “Besides my uh- physical tests weren’t great and I’d probably be more of a hindrance.”

Spencer looked up, noting that Gideon was staring at him with an unreadable expression. The elder Empath was also hiding his emotions, which bugged Spencer more than it should. He could feel the other feelings around the police department tugging at his mind, but did his best to keep them away as he turned back to the board.

“Wait a minute,” he breathed, standing up and walking up to the board.

He felt Gideon come to stand beside him, more of a comforting figure rather than a questioning one now. “What is it?”

“I recognise the pattern,” Spencer said, getting his phone out ready to dial Garcia’s number. “There was a coven when I was in school that was based in Las Vegas that got torn apart by Hunters. One of the founding leaders died, and she specialised in necromancy. Her marks were incredibly similar to this,” he paused to breathe, dialling Garcia’s number before Gideon could talk. “Garcia? I need you to look up ‘Circle of the Raven’. It was a coven that existed a few years ago.”

He heard Garcia’s questioning tutt over the phone, and ignored it. “Okay 187, got your coven. Says here they were disbanded years ago following a brutal attack,” she said, and Spencer could almost see her raised eyebrow.

“Try seeing if you can find out the names of the members, Garcia,” Gideon spoke up, meeting Spencer’s gaze.

“That might take some time but I can try,” Garcia hummed. “I’ll let you know when I find something. Ta-ta for now!”

Spencer sighed, shoving his phone in his pocket. “I hope she can find something. If they try again and fail, they’re going to keep trying until they get it.”

\--

“I’ve found something interesting,” Garcia spoke up once Gideon connected her through the phone. The group had all come together again, as it was much later in the day, all eating Chinese takeout while they worked. “So our resident genius asked me to look up the Circle of the Raven and look into its members, and only four members are still alive. The rest of them died one by one after the coven disbanded, all falling ill with an unknown sickness. Doctors tried to find what was wrong with them, and couldn’t. No foul play suspected.”

Spencer bit his lip, looking over the boards again as everyone took in the information. “Baby girl, do any of the victims have any ties to the coven?” Morgan asked, looking down at the phone on the table.

“None that I could find.”

“Maybe the victims were stalked beforehand, or just found and fit the criteria?” JJ suggested, finishing off her stir fry and getting up to throw out the rubbish.

“Death spells and life spells are very specific about the type of sacrifice required, especially considering some witches add their own signature to them,” Spencer spoke up, eyes moving wildly from side to side. “There are a lot of ways to find someone, particularly teenagers.”

Hotch nodded, arms crossed and eyes stern. He had thanked Spencer earlier before dinner for speaking with Haley, which made the young agent flush with embarrassment. He hadn’t even considered himself close enough with the Hotchner’s but Hotch had offered him another family dinner once Haley was out of hospital as thanks.

“So the only one who was killed by the hunters was the leader, Myrna. A brutal attack which left her heavily disfigured. Early pictures of her show her young, blonde hair and bright brown eyes. Her hair is very similar to that of the first female victim but her eyes are a match to the second female victim, which is interesting. So why do they need the boys?” Emily asked, sipping on her drink.

“The spell Garcia mentioned requires two lives for one, a lot of spells aren’t very specific about requirements so witches tend to use trial and error to get it right,” Spencer said, turning to the group with a frown.

Hotch shook his head. “Which means until they get it right, they won’t stop,” he said. “Garcia. What are the names of the four remaining witches?”

“Violet Pickerin, Medea Delarosa, Sierra Graeme and Primrose Sharpe.”

“Did they all change their names legally?” Emily asked, an eyebrow raised. “Or do they have witch names? Like Myrna? That’s a Serbian name and she wasn’t actually Serbian.”

Garcia’s voice picked up in pitch, like it did when she was happy someone connected the results. “They were all changed when they joined the coven years ago. But yes you’re right, Myrna’s real name was Abigail Greenhill, which is in fact her birth name. Myrna was just what she went as to her fellow witches.”

“If we go by Reid’s two-killer theory, then we have two possible victims and two possible unsubs,” Gideon said. “Is there anything you can tell us about the four left, Garcia?”

“Uh… well, I can tell you both Violet and Sierra work as teachers at the same school, Lakewood High which was… oh, it was originally called Greenhill Institute, an all-girls school. Now it’s a government-run school open to all genders. Apparently the school has a history in regards to magic. It was the location of a murder 20 years ago, two witches hung with their hearts ripped out of their-“

“Chests! I remember that, there was a message written in latin. ‘ _Tenebrae tuae erunt tuum in interitum_ ’,” Spencer piped up, cheeks going red when he realised he had spoken out of turn and cut Garcia off.

Emily, language extraordinaire, blinked. “Your darkness will be your undoing,” she murmured, frowning. “That fits with the murders too. Maybe it’s not just about bringing Myrna back, but getting revenge for any attacks against witches.”

“Lets talk to Violet and Sierra then, maybe they’ll know something. Garcia?” Hotch called, continuing once Garcia gave her affirmation. “Are they working today?”

Garcia hummed in thought. “According to what I can see, Violet is but Sierra called in sick this morning, said she had the flu.”

“Alright. Hotch, take Reid and Morgan with you to Sierra’s house once Garcia gets an address. Prentiss, JJ and I will head to the school,” Gideon said, standing up.

The others nodded, following suit. Gideon smiled at Spencer, who looked worried, and nodded his encouragement. That seemed to placate the boy, and Gideon felt him relax slightly. He hoped the two girls could help narrow down their suspect list.

Otherwise they were at a loss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave a comment telling me what you think! i appreciate hearing ideas and criticism from my readers :) 
> 
> tumblr: misguidedstars / elias-writes


	5. they'll think of me kindly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a moment, she let her gaze fizzle. “You could feel it when you were at my home, yes?” she asked, waiting until he nodded. “And even now, you can feel it lingering. I can see it in your face.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I'm not dead! Lol. I mean I almost could have died, but that's a story for my psychologist. 
> 
> I'm so sorry about lack of updates. I've had uni assignments and everything keeps piling up and things keep happening, I'm so stressed. But I'm back and already working on the newest chapter. 
> 
> \--
> 
> Title taken from 'Last Words of a Shooting Star' by Mitski.

Sierra was scared. Of something.

That was the first thing Spencer felt as she opened her door, blue-green eyes peering at them from underneath her bangs. The fear was overwhelming, almost making him stumble, but fortunately Gideon’s hand on his back stopped him from moving.

“Sierra Graeme?” Morgan asked, holding up his badge. Gideon did the same, and Spencer hurried to follow their lead. “We’d like to ask you a few questions, ma’am.”

The witch’s eyes narrowed, examining all three badges, before eventually nodding her assent. She stepped to the side, silent, and let them in. The three agents wondered inside, with Morgan giving her a ‘thank you’ as he did so.

Spencer breathed himself through the feelings, looking at Gideon. The man looked worried, but couldn’t say anything until they left.

“What do you want to know?” Sierra asked, closing the door and facing them with her arms crossed. She was naturally pale from the looks of things, rune-marks covering her arms and dark brown hair falling around her, thick and messy.

She didn’t look sick, but maybe it was a sickness they couldn’t see. “We just want to ask a few questions regarding the recent murders of teenagers,” Gideon said, his face remaining neutral so that he didn’t look like a threat. While Morgan was clearly the most threatening looking of the three, both Spencer and Gideon looked almost the complete opposite – passive and almost kind. “Nothing too bad, but we are considering the possibility that the recent murders have been performed by a couple of witches you may have known from your coven.”

“We don’t talk about each other outside of the circle,” Sierra said, immediately. Her mouth was drawn in a thin line, and she was holding her arms close to her chest. “It’s a rule we stick with to this day, no betrayals.”

“We just want to know if you recognise anything about the deaths.”

Spencer took that as his cue, pulling out the crime scene photos from the file in his hands and handing them to her. The three of them watched as she scanned them, at least looking at them properly rather than pretending to. Spencer winced as a wave of sadness hit Sierra, and he knew that she knew when she looked up and met his eyes.

“I recognise the marks on the boys. That’s Violet’s mark, she’s always been… rather isolated since Myrna died,” Sierra murmured, frowning. She was hesitant on talking about her fellow witches, they could tell. “I don’t know about the others, but I have a feeling it might be Prim’s.”

“Primrose Sharpe?” Morgan asked, taking the photos back when Sierra was done with them.

She nodded, biting her lip. “She disappeared. Violet and I couldn’t find her and we got worried, thinking she might have gotten into trouble with more hunters, so we kept quiet about her. Medea has been really worried too and went to find her, we haven’t heard from either of them,” she explained, turning away from them and towards the altar she had set up in the corner of the room they were in. She pulled a few photos out, with some rolled up parchment accompanying them. She handed them to Gideon.

The senior agent took them, examining the photos. One was of a small girl with rose gold hair, bright blue eyes and wearing what looked like a sundress with no shoes on, in a lake. “That’s Primrose from about a month ago, if you’re looking for her. I couldn’t tell you what she was wearing though. The girl in the other photo is Medea, it’s a recent photo because she dyed her hair about two weeks ago before she left. The parchments are the letters they wrote with protection spells. We use parchment since it feels more natural.”

“Do you mind if we take these?” Morgan asked, stepping forward. Spencer almost didn’t notice him, instead focused on keeping his mind from getting overwhelmed.

Sierra shook her head, looking at Spencer instead. “I’m sorry that you can feel the sorrow,” she said, surprising them all. Her voice was soft, almost regretful. “The site of one of the worst crimes is close to here, I’d say you can feel the lingering feelings still even here.”

“It’s okay,” Spencer got out, offering her a faint smile. She smiled back, and Spencer found himself being led out by Gideon, gently but firmly.

“Thank you Ms Graeme,” Gideon said, looking back at her once all three agents were outside again, looking back at her. “We’ll call you if we have anymore questions.”

She nodded, giving a lingering look at Spencer, before shutting the door softly. Morgan turned to Spencer, an eyebrow raised. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Spencer got out, holding back a whimper of pain. “Can we go? Please?”

Gideon pulled him away from the house, back to the SUV waiting for them out on the street. “Come on, pretty boy,” Morgan said as he walked on Spencer’s other side. “You can rest back at the station while we wait for the others.”

\--

“So Primrose Sharpe went missing on a Tuesday, two weeks ago?” Hotch asked, an eyebrow raised. JJ and Emily were both exploring the school and Violet’s classroom respectively.

Violet, a tall woman – standing eye to eye with Hotch – with pale skin and honey-brown eyes, nodded with an exasperated roll of her eyes. “As I said. If you’re going to ask Sierra too, I promise she’ll also say that.”

“We have other agents questioning her too. What about Medea Delarosa?”

“She left a couple of weeks ago to look for Prim,” Violet said, crossing her arms. Her eyebrows knit together in worry. “I honestly don’t know where the two of them are. We haven’t heard from them since they mailed Sierra their letters.”

Hotch blinked. “Letters?”

“Yeah, letters,” Violet said. “Prim and Medea left letters for Sierra with protection spells to keep her safe.”

The agent watched her, scanning her face for anything that might give her away. He looked down at his phone, Gideon’s text making his eyes widen slightly. When he looked up, Violet was looking at him with a questioning expression. “I’m afraid we’ll have to bring you in for questioning because of some new evidence that’s been found.”

She sighed. “I saw that coming,” she said, holding her arms out. She relented to him, though Hotch wasn’t entirely sure why. He slipped her hands into the handcuffs he carried on his belt, looking past her at JJ and Emily who had caught up with them in Violet’s office.

“We’re headed back to the station. Gideon, Reid and Morgan have found something out,” he said, leading Violet out of the school with the two female agents following.

\--

“Is Spence alright?” JJ asked Morgan as she and Emily came up on either side of him, watching Hotch talk to Violet in the interrogation room through the one-sided mirror. “We saw him and Gideon in the board room.”

Morgan shrugged. “Dunno, he collapsed a while ago with a bad headache. I think Gideon is helping him through it. He should be fine in an hour or so, apparently,” he said, not too focused on Reid for the time being. ‘Pretty boy’ had slipped out without him meaning to say it, and so he had spent the past few hours trying not to think of the young 21 year old.

“How’s it going in there?” Emily spoke up, clearly reading the atmosphere.

“Hotch has gotten her to admit that the marks were hers, she got angry and tried to lash out against him but he at least got the supernatural cuffs on her,” the dark skinned agent explained, a grim look on his face. “She knows where Primrose Sharpe is. Medea Delarosa is in trouble.”

“So Primrose is our second witch?”

Morgan nodded, crossing his arms. “We don’t know what the hell she has planned or what she’s done with Medea, and Violet has now decided she wants to stay quiet.”

“Agent,” Detective Williams called, coming up to stand next to them. “Sierra Graeme has called, she’s requested to speak to one of you at the hospital. Dr Reid. She said she’d only speak to him, apparently she was attacked in her home and is now recovering.”

JJ blinked. “But Spence is-“

“I’ll tell him. What hospital?” Morgan spoke up, dark eyes narrowed.

Detective Williams handed him the file. “Fairbanks*. It’s about 20 minutes away from here.”

Morgan nodded, heading out past the girls before they could object and into the board room. Gideon looked up at his entrance, but Reid kept his head in his hands, and Morgan could see him pressing his palms tightly into his eyes. It made him feel a bit guilty for what he was about to say. “Sierra Graeme has made a request to speak to us, but only wants to speak with Reid.”

“Where?” Reid asked, voice quiet.

“Fairbanks Medical,” Morgan said, handing the file to Gideon. “She’s recovering from an attack in her home. We don’t know much more than that.”

Gideon’s face was unreadable as Spencer looked at him, his dark eyes boring straight into Spencer’s. The two Empaths stared each other down, before eventually the older man relented and stood up. “We’ll go meet her. Has Hotch gotten through to Violet yet?”

Morgan shook his head, crossing his arms. “She’s quietened now. He hasn’t managed to get anything more out of her.”

“Alright. Come on Reid, we’re headed to the hospital.”

\--

“I want to speak with Dr Reid alone,” Sierra said, arms folded in her lap as she sat upright in the hospital bed. She looked healthy, if not for the bandage sitting around her head and the one peeking out underneath her hospital gown. “Please.”

Spencer looked up at Gideon. “I’ll be fine Gideon,” he promised, knowing the older agent was loathed to leave him alone at all. His headache was still present, but it had gotten better with Gideon basically acting like an emotional shield for him. He knew that if he was in that room with Sierra alone, he’d have to think through the full extent of his headache himself.

“I’ll wait outside the room,” Gideon said, his voice bordering on worried. It made Spencer feel better, knowing that the older agent cared enough to feel worried.

He watched as Gideon left the room and shut the door, then he slid into one of the uncomfortable chairs next to the bed. He kept his bag sitting against his chest, almost like a shield, and looked at Sierra. She was looking back at him, eyes sharp and looking at him intensely.

After a moment, she let her gaze fizzle. “You could feel it when you were at my home, yes?” she asked, waiting until he nodded. “And even now, you can feel it lingering. I can see it in your face.”

“The uh- sadness. It’s overwhelming. What happened to the Circle was awful,” Spencer spoke, his mouth moving on auto-pilot. His head still rang, making him flinch every now and then. He could feel Gideon’s presence outside the door, which helped him marginally. “I’m so sorry.”

Sierra’s face changed, relaxing slightly into a small smile, but it was gone before he could process it. “You’re kind,” she said simply. “My attacker, I think she may have been a huntress. She used a particular magic-draining gun that the Hunter’s Guild supplies. Have you heard of them?”

Spencer nodded, listening as best he could.

“Yes, and the letter she left on my chest makes me believe she might have been a distraction to help Primrose complete what she set out to do,” Sierra said, wincing as she reached over to her bag to pull out a small piece of parchment. She handed it to Spencer, who took it and read over it. “She disappeared before I could say anything.”

“What are these runes?”

“Those are Hunter’s runes,” Sierra explained, gesturing to the small squares and circles around the letters. “She’s used an old dead version of Latin too, it’s in order to send a cryptic message. I have no idea what it says, but I remember hearing that you have someone who could on your team.”

“H-How did you…?”

“Violet was watching. I can show you how the runes work, but I think their final attack will be back where it all started. At the Circle’s home ruins.”

“Thank you, Miss Graeme.”

Sierra smiled, leaning forward and resting a hand on his cheek.

\--

“The runes activate with a certain word, but we have no idea knowing what that word is,” Spencer explained, once he and Gideon were back in the car. “It doesn’t matter anyway. Sierra believes that the ruins that used to belong to the Circle is going to be where Primrose makes her final stand.”

Gideon nodded, thinking. “Lets get back to the station. I think we have some more questions to ask Violet, and a way to make her talk. And Spencer, you can join Hotch in the interrogation this time. I think she might react differently to you.”

Spencer bit his lip, but nodded. “Actually… Could Agen- Emily join me? I have an idea but we need her language expertise.”

“Alright, kid. We’ll head back and let her know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise if some of this chapter doesn't make sense, I'm coming back to it after months so I may have forgotten a few things. 
> 
> Regardless, hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> Pls leave a comment letting me know how y'all are liking it or any ideas you want to see happen! I love communicating with y'all.

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you think! comments and kudos help a lot and help me to know who's interested and who isnt :) 
> 
> i do realise the chapter is kinda shitty but ill probs end up rewriting it if i need to 
> 
> tumblr: misguidedstars


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